A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has convicted a 40-year-old mother of two, Helen Ese Idiji, and a 53-year-old landlady, Sa’adullah Rashidat, for dealing in and storing 28.8 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa, popularly known as marijuana.

Trial judge, Justice Friday Ogazi, convicted the defendants after they pleaded guilty to charges filed against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The prosecution, led by Juliana Negedu, told the court that the defendants were arrested on June 25, 2025, at No. 15 Olumoko Street, Amukoko, Lagos, a property belonging to the second defendant, where the illicit substance was stored. The charge was marked FHC/L/CR/544/2026.

Idiji was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and unlawful dealing in the banned substance, while Rashidat faced similar counts relating to conspiracy and storage of the drug.

According to the prosecutor, the offences contravene Sections 14(b), 11(c) and 12 of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and are punishable under the same law.

Following their guilty pleas, the prosecution called an exhibit keeper, Ogah Aliyu Mohammed, who tendered the recovered drugs and other materials. The exhibits were admitted in evidence without objection.

Negedu subsequently urged the court to convict the defendants in line with their pleas and the provisions of Section 274(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

In his allocutus, defence counsel, Dennis Warri, appealed for leniency, describing the defendants as first-time offenders with no previous criminal records.

He told the court that the defendants were remorseful and had acknowledged that hardship could not justify criminal conduct.

Warri further urged the court to consider non-custodial sentences pursuant to Sections 311(2)(c) and 416(k) of the ACJA, 2015.

After confirming from the prosecution that the defendants had no previous convictions, Justice Ogazi convicted them accordingly and ordered that they be remanded at a Nigerian Correctional Service facility.

The court adjourned the case until September 2, 2026, for sentencing.